Makeup Mondays, July 4th, 2011

Hello internet world!
 Today, I want to discuss the importance of balancing makeup. For an everyday look, this is fairly simple as people do not often wear a lot of makeup on a daily basis, but for evenings and special events, sometimes it is nice to spice things up and show off your most flattering features. This is fine, but do not try to show off all your features at once! Try to stick to one feature to stand out. In my post today, I will discuss how to put a bold look on your favorite feature without overdoing it.

Showing off lips

 These pictures do not belong to me. They were found on the internet. 

 If you aren't sure if you should play up your lips or not, try it out once to see if you like it. Bold lips make a fantastic statement, as people tend to show their eyes off when doing an evening look. The first thing you want to figure out when attempting a bold lip is what color you would like to go for.
 For people with pale skin: do not use colors that are too dark, instead, try colors that are very vibrant. Some good colors for pale skin are cherry reds, corals and bright pinks. Try staying away from darker colors such as purple, pure oranges, and deep reds.  
 For people who have mid skin tones: try mixture colors such as raspberry, mauve, or orangey red. You can also try playing with pure orange but be very careful what other makeup you mix pure orange with. With medium skin, i would avoid super light colors, as it would wash out your lips instead of making them look bolder. 
 For people who have dark skin: feel free to pick either bold or darker colors, as they generally tend to look good on darker skins. Bold reds in any shade tend to look fantastic next to darker skin, along with bright pinks, and deeper purples. Like with mid-tones, i would avoid lighter colors, as it may wash your lips out. 
 Some final tips: When wearing bold lips, try to keep your eye shadows in natural colors, and apply eyeliners and mascaras lightly or skip them completely. For your cheeks, go with something matte, with little or no shimmer, and try do not use vibrant blushes. Often times, bold lips do not work out too well with chapped lips, so make sure you use lots of chapstick on your lips on a regular basis to prevent that from happening. Make sure you take your color with you when going out, as you may need to reapply it after eating or drinking. To keep your lipstick off your teeth, after applying, pucker your mouth into an 'o' shape and stick your finger in and pull it out, it should get rid of any lipstick that may end up on your teeth. If you have redness to your skin tone from blemishes, burn or skin conditions, try to avoid reds lipstick, as it tends to make the redness of your skin stand out. Finally, do not be afraid to mix lipsticks to find that perfect color for you. Though there are millions of colors in lipsticks, it may not be easy to find that perfect match, so you can mix things up to help find the color you are looking for.

Showing off eyes

These pictures are not mine. They were found on the internet. 

 Even though I personally believe any color can be worn by any eye if done so correctly, there are certain colors that make certain eyes pop. No matter what your eye color is, more than likely golds and purples and neutrals will suit your eyes. Those colors are fairly universal shades. If you are unsure how to apply your eye shadow, there are three easy steps to a basic smokey eye. One, take your lightest color and a fairly thick brush, and apply it all over the lid. Two, with your medium color and a smaller brush, start on the outer corner of your eye, and follow your crease 3/4 of the way to the inner corner of the eye. Go over this a few times to help blend it out, and if needed, clean your brush and blend it without color on it. Three, take your darkest color and a very light brush, apply a small amount of eye shadow to the outer corner of your eye. Clean your brush and blend the darker color into the medium color.
 For blue eyes: Blue eyes really pop with whites, pinks, light blues and greens, and orange shades, which contrast blue eyes. This does not mean you cannot wear other colors.
 For green eyes: Golds and deep purples work fantastically on your eyes. Being a green-eyed girl myself, I also really like matte yellows on my eye lids. Greens perfect contrast is pink, so darker pink looks great in your crease. This doesn't mean you cannot wear other colors. 

 For hazel eyes: Natural colors really make hazel eyes pop, along with yellow and gold colors. Eye shadows with a good shimmer really bring attention to hazel eyes. As I said before, this does NOT mean you can't wear other colors. 

 For brown eyes: greyscale colors (including white and black) do a lot for brown eyes. Dramatic white lids with grey and black creases make brown eyes pop. Other colors that look fantastic on brown eyes are browns and many shades of purple and silver. 

 Some final tips: When going for a dramatic eye, do not be afraid to put on mascara or beautiful fake lashes. Remember to put some of your darkest color on your lower lashes, but not too much. Wear an eye shadow base or foundation under your shadow to avoid it clumping up in the crease. If you are an eyeliner fanatic like myself, cat-eye liner make your eyes look longer. Make sure to highlight your browbone with a neutral color, slightly lighter than your own skin tone. It will draw attention to your eye area. If you have a naturally bolder lip color, try putting a bit of concealer or a light gloss over your lips to tone it down. 

Showing off cheeks

These pictures do not belong to me. They were found on the internet.

 If you are going for a bold cheek, you have to take into consideration the tone of your skin, cool or warm. To find out, try to find a vein in your arm. If it is blue, you have a cooler skintone. If it is green, you have a warmer skintone. Depending on your skintone, there are certain blushes that will look better on you and really make your cheekbones stand out.
 For cooler skin: use pinks. Pink blushes look much more natural on cool skin than bronze colors. Try to stay away from browns. Some coral colors may work, but be careful when using it.  For warmer skin: use bronze. Any tan shade will look great as long as it is applied properly. Corals look good on warmer skin as well.
 Some final tips: When using bold blush, try to play down the eyes and lips by sticking to not-so bright colors that look naturally great on your eyes (such as the ones listed above). For the lips, try to look natural. Bold lips and bold cheeks really contrast each other, and it just ends up looking like you are wearing way too much makeup. When applying your blush, smile, and apply to the apples of your cheeks, then bring the access back towards your jaw. Apply your blush slightly under your the top part of your cheek bone for the most dramatic effect. Even though you are going for a bold look on your cheeks, still, do not apply a whole lot. A little goes a long way with blush. Applying blush with a stipple brush gives a very nice even coat of blush, without putting too much on. Do not concentrate your blush on a very tiny area, make sure it flows fairly big across your cheek to avoid looking like a doll. 

 Now take a look in the mirror, pick out your favorite feature on yourself, and play around with some makeup looks. It is always a good idea to practice what you want to do with your makeup instead of putting it on twenty minutes before you go out on the town, as you may find the colors you wanted to wear aren't as flattering as you thought. After, make sure to fully remove your makeup to keep your complexion fresh and your skin healthy.